Return of the Goblin King
by probookworm
Summary: Jareth has spent nearly a year locked in his castle after his defeat. Can he overcome himself and regain his hold on his kingdom? Or will the Goblin Kingdom and the Labyrinth fall to a new master?
1. Chapter 1

He looked out over the ruin of his once great kingdom and wondered where exactly he had gone wrong.

 _Her_.

He clenched a hand and felt the leather of his glove crush under his fist. Imagined it was her throat.

Jareth turned away from the window and scowled into the darkness of his bed chamber. He was done sulking and hiding in the shadows. He was the Goblin King and he intended to reclaim the power that the title once held. He would not be broken by some nothing of a girl. Kings were not made of such fragile stuff.

He pulled a cape from its hook and swirled it around his shoulders. The sweep of it against his legs as he walked across the room made him feel more powerful. _Not what I once was,_ he thought, apprising himself in the mirror. He looked flat, his mismatched eyes missing their ferocity. He looked weak for the first time in his centuries of life. Unacceptable. He was barely in his prime.

"Perhaps it's time for a crown," he muttered.

Jareth had never worn a crown before, never thought that kind of kingly trapping was necessary. His natural charisma and confidence had always been more than enough. Once. Before Sarah.

Her rejection had destroyed him and his kingdom followed. But no more. Though his servants had fled and his castle lay largely empty, there was still the whole world for him to go out and conquer...

As he stalked through the corridors, a small shadow detached itself from the darkness of the wall. Despite himself, Jareth started. "You should really do something about the goblin rebellions in the south," croaked a voice, insolently.

Jareth stopped and sighed, pressing a finger to his temple irritably. "You know, I'm really finding you much more tiresome dead than you ever were alive. At least then you had proper respect."

Hoggle glided forward, the beams of sun through the high windows falling through him. "What's left to fear now?" he asked, bitterly. "You have no power over me," he added with a nasty sneer.

Jareth flinched. He scowled at Hoggle. "Be gone from my sight!" he growled.

With a chuckle, Hoggle dematerialized into nothing.

When he had gone, Jareth let his ridged posture slump. He'd killed the creature in a fit of revenge shortly after Sarah's rejection. Her other helpers had evaded him and disappeared long ago. Had Jareth known then that Hoggle would return to pester him for the rest of his very long life, he might have stayed his hand. Perhaps not. He wasn't exactly thinking clearly then.

He straightened his spine and looked around him. Where was Eluned? His housekeeper was one of the few staff that had not deserted him. Little mouse of a fae though she was, Eluned had weathered her master's foul, and sometimes violent moods for more years than he could remember now.

He carried on down the corridor, occasionally seeing small figures sink back into the gloom or dive behind a tapestry. So, there were still a few goblins here and there and it was good they still appeared to fear him. Perhaps they thought him mad. No matter. Fear was fear and he wanted his subjects to fear him.

Likely for a time he was, indeed, mad. It was the only explanation for his falling in love with Sarah, a mere human girl. He could see now that she was nothing special. Powerless. It was as if the fog had lifted from his eyes. Finally, he could see that he was getting weak, letting his grasp on his kingdom slip. But no more.

Jareth brushed aside a tattered black curtain and stepped down into the hot kitchen. Across the room, nearly lost in a cloud of steam over a boiling pot of something that smelled decidedly unappetizing, Eluned waved a dirty rag in his direction. "It's about time!" she spat. "I sent you for meat hours ago! The king might be hiding away in his misery, but I still have to put meals on his table!"

Quirking an eyebrow, Jareth took a step forward and said, "Not hiding any longer."

Eluned let the spoon she was holding in her other hand slip beneath the surface of the glutinous mixture in the pot and spun around so quickly she nearly stumbled. She brushed a few wild strands of hair from her red face and dropped into a strangely graceful curtsey. "Your Highness!" she practically shrieked, her voice high with anxiety. "It is good to see you out in the castle once again!"

He waved a hand at her irritably to raise her from the bow. "Yes, yes. Eluned, I have always valued your opinions and I find myself in need of them now."

She compressed her lips into a tight line, but said nothing.

"How do you feel about the… climate of the kingdom?"

"Well," she began slowly, not looking him in the eye. "There are rumors of a rebellion in the south and…"

"And?" he barked.

She reached into a pocket of her apron, pulling out a battered parchment envelope. "This came for you today. It is from the Court of Breaking Dawn."

Delicately, he took it from her and broke the ornate, red seal. His face grew grim as he read the letter's sweeping calligraphy. "From my father," he said distastefully. "He believes my grasp is slipping and suggests that perhaps he needs to come take the reins, so to speak." With a look of disgust, Jareth let the pages fall into the cooking fire. "That is simply unacceptable."

He curled one long, gloved finger beneath his chin and paced the stone floor in long strides. "I must convince him that it is a waste of time and that I have things firmly in hand."

Eluned tried to remain very still, like a mouse trying to remain unseen by an especially predatory cat.

"I could put down the rebellion," he mumbled, "but, no. It would not be enough and I can easily take care of them at my leisure."

He took several more steps and then turned suddenly on his heel, long hair swirling around his shoulders. Eluned jumped at the sudden move and cowered slightly under his intense stare. "I could tell them that I have merely been locked away- rapturous on my honeymoon, but his letter snapped me from my reveries and I shall return to business immediately."

She relaxed visibly. "Shall I fetch materials for you so that you may return his letter, Your Highness?"

Jareth's face creased in a laugh. "Oh no! I cannot send a letter and hope to satisfy them. I will have to go to them and take my queen with me. That should prevent him from openly declaring war and trying to take the kingdom. I am sure I could defeat him, but I find killing my relatives extremely tiresome."

She hesitated, afraid to state the obvious. "Sire, you have no queen. How will you obtain a wife in time?"

Before she had even finished the thought, he had waived away her concern. "I have no intention of obtaining an actual wife. Clearly I cannot take a goblin. We like to steal away humans, but he will see that as a weakness, and there is but one other fae."

Blanching, Eluned took a step back. "Highness, I cannot-"

"Come, come," he soothed. "It's just a bit of playacting."

"But, we cannot lie, Your Highness!"

He looked unruffled. "What is the punishment for breaking that particular geas? Banishment from the paradise of faerie? I believe we both know how bitter that paradise is. We are already outside their lands. I have no intention of giving up my throne to be a bootlicker among their shining court." From nowhere, he pulled a crystal orb and with a breath, sent it floating out the window. "I have notified them that we intend to come for a visit. I believe you shall find all the necessary items you need to ready yourself in your chamber. I expect you to be ready tomorrow by dawn."

With that, he swept from the room


	2. Chapter 2

Entering her small chamber off the kitchen, Eluned was not entirely surprised to see the finery hanging in place of her usual wardrobe and jewels glittering on her tiny table. She sat abruptly on her narrow bed with a hand pressed to her chest, trying to calmly take deep breaths.

Really, this was all too much. Aside from the sheer absurdity of passing her off as queen, there was a very real danger here. Jareth was many things, but patient and forgiving were not among them, no matter what he had told the human girl. Should she misstep she might just find herself pitched headfirst into the Bog of Eternal Stench… or worse, living out her last lonely days in the darkness of an oubliette.

She stood and walked to the clothing, taking the fine material of the dress in her fingers. She took another deep breath and straightened her shoulders. While she had been a housekeeper and living among the goblins for centuries now, that had not always been her life. She had blended into the glittering faerie court before and she could certainly do it again.

Jareth's eyes widened as she swept into the entrance hall, a cloud of sparkling jewels and sleek furs. Smooth black leather gloves stretched up her small arms to above the elbow, a cascade of diamonds circled from her throat to nearly her waist. Her black gown was simple, but the jeweled belt that rode her hips was far from it and the whole affair was topped with a glossy cape of shining black fur. With her hair twisted into a smooth knot at the back of her head and the lines of her face sharpened by cosmetics, she looked utterly transformed. This was no longer a housekeeper, this was far more regal.

"You look like you could truly be my queen!" Jareth cried, looking her over critically.

"And you look as if you might be a king again," she observed. He was turned out far better than he had been for a very long time, tight black leggings tucked smoothly into black boots that came over his knees and an ornate black and silver brocade coat with tails that brushed the floor.

The backhanded compliment stung. "So there is a woman under those rags, after all," he drawled.

Jareth could have sworn he saw lightening strikes behind her dark eyes. "Elegantly put, as always, Your Majesty," Eluned said, giving the merest incline of her head in place of the usual curtsy.

He had to force an amused smile into an arrogant smirk. "I would discipline you for your tone, but as we are trying to pass you off as a queen, I suppose you will do. It is comforting to know that your years among the goblins have not cowed you irreversibly."

Her eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Jareth turned to a small table against the wall and plucked something from it. He turned to her and offered a swirling silver diadem with another diamond, this one nearly as large as her eye. "Where did you get these things?" she asked, gesturing to her clothing.

He shrugged gracefully. "I have been Goblin King for over a thousand years. I had a wife once." He held the diadem closer to her.

Eluned took it reluctantly from his hands. "I have been here for centuries; I do not recall you having a wife."

"Numi did not find the goblin realm to her liking," he said delicately. "She left shortly after I assumed the throne, long before you joined me in exile. No, do not let your eyes fill with such pity! Ours was not a match for love, but politics."

Eluned pulled her shoulders back and placed the diadem on her head.

"Come!" ordered Jareth and held his hand out to her. Eluned took it delicately and he steered her towards the great double doors at the entrance to the castle. When after a moment no servants appeared to open the doors, he sighed irritably and snapped his fingers. The door swung outward slowly and he led her regally through.

Eluned arched one elegant eyebrow, watching the coach trundle slowly towards them. "You could not merely snap your fingers and deliver us there in an instant?"

"So I could," Jareth replied, coolly amused, "I could also change into an owl and fly there, but where is the pageantry in that? It is a show of wealth and prestige. We want to dazzle them with my power so they do not think to invade my kingdom. In a great hurry to return to the land of your birth, are we?"

She breathed outwards and attempted to draw her tense shoulders back down. "Hardly. I went into exile for a reason."

Jareth noticed the move, but decided not to press for the time being.

The coach drew closer to them, drawn by four golden horses. Eluned took note of the beasts' eyes: one ice blue, the other dark as night. "Pageantry," she muttered. "Amusing."

The squat goblin driving, climbed down and opened the door, dropping down golden steps. "Highnesses," he croaked, sweeping his hand towards the open door in a gesture that might have been elegant in a more attractive creature.

Jareth escorted her inside and then settled into the plush velvet seat across from her. The goblin closed the door firmly behind him and Eluned heard him clamber back up the side of the carriage. All too soon, they were rumbling down the drive and towards the lands beyond the Labyrinth.

Jareth gazed distractedly out the window as they went, pretending not to notice the disrepair of the goblin city or the Labyrinth itself.

"If I may," Eluned finally said quietly, "why did you leave the Court in the first place?"

He sat silent long enough she was not sure he would even answer her question. Finally, "As you know, we are a long lived race. Barring something very serious or abdication, it was likely my father and mother would rule until the end of time itself. My father is not one to abdicate, particularly not to a son he felt was a disappointment. The goblin lands were chaotic and they had no ruler. It was a simple enough thing to conquer them and have my chance to be a king. I raised the Labyrinth to show that I could protect my kingdom on my own. And barring one exception, it has been successful."

This was the closest to vulnerable she had even seen Jareth. Even after Sarah he had seemed more like a wounded animal that had been cornered: dangerous, likely to bite. For a moment, he seemed deeply sad, but before she could be certain, the moment had passed and he was his usual arrogant self again. "It should be a lovely visit," he smirked, returning his attention to the window.


	3. Chapter 3

As they passed beneath a gilded archway, Jareth's insouciant posture grew ridged. His face became again imperious. Eluned took a steadying breath, unnecessarily smoothing the fabric of her dress.

"Have no fear. I will protect you from the monsters," he said reaching out to run a finger along her jaw.

"I fear them less than I do you, Your Highness."

He gave her a smoldering smile full of satisfaction. "Very wise. But remember, we are deeply in love. I shall be terribly upset if you disappoint me."

"I can play my part," she said, fear tempering the heat of her anger.

As they came to a stop, he relaxed again into his usual casual nonchalance and grinned wolfishly at her. "I do like my women with some spirit!" Without waiting for their goblin coachman, he swept out the door and took her hand as she emerged more slowly behind him.

Though centuries stood between him and his last glimpse of the castle he had grown up in, it looked no different: tall blocks of slick smoky quartz that stretched so high and precariously that they appeared held together by magic. They probably were, he mused. He had never given it much thought at the time.

He looked over at Eluned. Whatever she was feeling was hidden behind a courtly mask he felt certain she had perfected in another part of her life. It was not the downcast face of a servant, though that was the only one he knew her to have. It was a face he had seen on hundreds of courtiers in his life at the Court of Breaking Dawn. They could be screaming in pure terror or filled with utmost disgust at what was happening before them, but you could never tell from the smooth, emotionless arrogance of their faces.

From his long years among the goblins, who were a far more outwardly emotional race, Jareth was out of practice. But, as he no longer belonged to this court, he felt little need to hide all emotion from them. Let them be scandalized by his amusement and contempt.

He led her to the ornate golden doors set within the shining walls. When they did not open, he huffed a sigh and irritably flicked his free hand at the doors. They swung open in a rush, hitting the wall behind them with a loud crash. "Really!" he breathed, as they walked into the large, seemingly empty entrance hall. "The true hospitality towards another monarch is simply staggering!"

"My apologies that you find the manners of my home lacking," said a voice coolly.

They looked up to a landing above where two sweeping staircases met. The speaker was a tall, stern blond man in golden robes. Beside him was a delicate, but equally tall blond woman with eyes like chips of ice.

While Eluned curtsied politely, Jareth traced the barest sketch of a bow. "Your Majesties," he intoned, with just enough sarcasm to make it nearly insulting.

They stood and waited while the King and Queen of the Court of Breaking Dawn made their way down the stairs so gracefully, they almost seemed to be floating.

"Eluned, my Queen, might I present King Kendryk and Queen Rionach. Mother, Father, Queen Eluned."

The Queen's face radiated warmth, but her eyes maintained a cold distance. "Jareth, my dearest son, it is so wonderful to be reunited with you after all of these years."

Jareth chuckled, brushing aside her hand where she reached up to touch his arm. "Oh mother, I very much doubt that."

If they were offended by or even noticed his rudeness, it did not show. They scarcely seemed to notice her presence. Eluned could not help but think that standing next to them, Jareth appeared terribly wild: hair spiking in every direction, his facial expressions unschooled. Even his elegant clothing, dark as it was against their lightness, looked aggressive. Something twisted in her and she fought to carefully swallow it back, lest anything should show on her face.

"Shall we retire somewhere more comfortable and discuss your…neglect of your lands?" Kendryck asked quietly.

"Of course, father," Jareth agreed. "Can someone please make Eluned comfortable in our quarters?" He raised her hand to his lips and laid a gentle kiss on her fingers.

"Of course," Rionach said, pleasantly. She tucked Eluned's arm into hers. "I will see that she is well settled."

"Go and rest. I will join you presently," Jareth said quietly, looking intently into her eyes.

"Yes," she responded, far more breathlessly than she intended. She had to make an effort not to look back as Rionach swept her up the stairs and deeper into the palace.


	4. Chapter 4

Jareth followed Kendryck into what might be considered a study in a more humble room. It was largely dominated by an enormous crystal fireplace that would have comfortably fit a dragon inside. It was flanked on either side with bookcases filled to overflowing with crumbling, ancient tomes, with piles of worn scrolls shoved into the spaces between. Kendryck gestured him to an ornate, but hard chair carved from a black stone, while he settled into a larger, throne-like chair, piled with fluffy cushions. It was most definitely a room meant to give the fae king an advantage in any situation.

Jareth had spent a fair amount of time in this room, being dressed down for his various infractions committed throughout the years. He draped himself in the chair, casually throwing a leg over the arm. He felt as if he were missing something, and pulled a cane from the air, topped with a clear glass orb, which he then proceeded to tap lightly against his foot. He had been a king far too long to cower like a youngling. He held his silence, knowing it was only a matter of time before it became maddening.

The silence stretched for minutes, until finally, visibly uncomfortable, Kendryck grasped the arms of his chair and asked, "Are the rumors true, Jareth? A human girl? Why would you throw everything away for a human child?"

Jareth laughed, not as convincingly as he hoped. "She was a passing fancy, nothing more. I am surprised you would give such rumors regarding some vulgar backwater another thought."

"When goblins and their disputes are spilling over my borders, I am forced to give it thought! It has been months and you have done nothing and with whispers that you were broken by some human, I can only presume you have taken leave of your wits!" Kendryck's bland face had slipped and his anger was beginning to show. His hands were clenched in fists on the arms of his chair so tightly his knuckles had gone white.

Quietly, Jareth snickered, more because he knew it would irritate his father further, than from any real amusement. "Well," he said, spreading his arms wide, "as you can see, I am quite in possession of all of my faculties. No humans lurking about my castle. I have merely been closeted away with my new bride. Surely you noticed that she is particularly lovely."

"Lovely, yes, and particularly dangerous. I believe she is the daughter of one of my nobles, exiled years ago for dissention."

Raising his eyebrows, Jareth looked into space for a moment. "Is she? How interesting." He snapped his gaze back to Kendryck. "Whatever her past, Eluned is my queen. As for myself, this has been a most illuminating visit, however, I now see it is time for me to again take a firm hand with my kingdom." He stood and turned towards the door.

Kendryck stood as well, sighing with frustration. "Rionach has planned a ball in honor of you and your queen tonight. But understand this, Jareth, we are not finished discussing this matter."

"I can hardly wait," Jareth called over his shoulder as he strode from the room.

"You have been keeping secrets from me."

Eluned's eyes flew open and for a moment she was disoriented. She looked over to find Jareth lounging casually in a chair next to the cold fire, watching her. "Not intentionally, Your Highness."

"You never told me why you left to come live in the Goblin Kingdom."

"You never asked," she responded, slowly sitting up from where she had fallen into a doze on the bed.

He conceded the point with a small nod. "You also never told me you were a noble."

She frowned. "I'm not a noble. I'm a housekeeper."

He stood up and came towards her. "Details. It explains much about you." He offered a hand and when she tentatively took it, pulled her to her feet. With his face a hair's breadth away he murmured, "It is intriguing."

"Is it?" she asked in a bare whisper, wetting her lips nervously.

"It is," he whispered back, closing the distance between them a fraction, but still not touching more than her hand.

Suddenly, he spun away taking a few steps to lean against the mantle of the fireplace. "But now, I have a lovely surprise for you. We are to attend a ball in our honor."

Eluned released a breath she did not realize she had been holding. "That is an honor I could forgo."

Jareth cocked his head to the side and studied her. "It will be over before you know it. We will dance tonight and be back at my castle tomorrow. Now, we must decide what you will wear to this ghastly affair."

In a blink, she was wearing a frothy, iridescent white concoction with enormous puffed sleeves. She caught sight of herself in the mirror and could see that her hair had achieved a level of frothiness that compared to the dress, with silver leaves and ribbons woven through.

He regarded her with wry amusement briefly before shaking his head. "No. It does not suit you."

In another blink she was in a ball gown completely dripping with tiny mirrors. It should have been heavy, but even the wide skirt felt oddly light. She could see the faintest silver outline of a lightning bolt traced from one side of her forehead to the opposite cheek. Her dark hair was in a wild braid that somehow still managed to be elegant.

"Much better," he said. Another blink and Jareth was dressed in a surprisingly simple soft gray leather cutaway jacket with gray leggings to match. His waistcoat was mirrored to compliment her dress and the pearl gray ruffles of his shirt spilled from it and from his wrists.

"That was rather invasive," she said, somewhat grumpy.

"Ah, temper, temper," he said, almost tenderly, running his ungloved hand down her arm.

It was the first time he had ever touched her skin to skin and the brush of it sizzled along her nerves unexpectedly. Startled, she shivered involuntarily.

Looking up, she was bewildered by the considering look in his eye. "More and more interesting," he muttered. He reached back to the chair and picked up a pair of gray leather gloves and slid them on. He held out a hand to her. "Shall we?"


	5. Chapter 5

Jareth's eyes swept the ballroom with one eye brow raised critically. At first glance, it was dazzling: black marble floors shot through with gold veins, floor to ceiling mirrors lined one wall, while tall windows on the other offered views to a perfectly manicured garden twinkling with fairy lights. The assembled courtiers were dressed in sumptuous outfits, swirling to the music or conversing in small groups. Servants lingered at a respectful distance, attentive to every whim of the nobles around them.

On further inspection, while the guests expressions were all technically correct, they seemed forced, their smiles tight and disingenuous. "I have seen livelier gatherings of corpses," he muttered to Eluned. "I never thought I would feel so nostalgic for a goblin affair. They, at least, are sincere. Drunken, but sincere."

"You do not believe that the king and queen are pleased to have you visit?" she asked, drily.

"They are fond of pretending that they are all light and no shadows here. I am afraid that I am a rather large shadow." He waved towards the spectacle before them. "I chose to give up all this to live among the primitive goblins, instead of remaining to become a useless relic in their court. I think they are trying to show me all I have missed."

She snuck a glance at him. "Do you? Miss it?"

He looked over at her and smiled. "You know what is wonderful about the goblins? They are very stupid creatures: easy to torment, easy to command. I find I rather enjoy being their king." He gave her fingers a squeeze before leading her forward to meet his parents.

Kendryck and Rionach wore extravagant outfits in matching blood red. Rionach gave him a smile that held too much ice to be entirely friendly. Kendryck narrowed his eyes. "Son. Shall we speak privately while the ladies get to know one another better?"

Jareth chuckled. "And let this perfectly lovely ball you have organized go to waste? I think I would like to have a dance with my queen."

Without a backwards glance, Jareth led Eluned to the dance floor. Gently, he swung her around and placed a hand at her waist.

"For someone who despises all the fakery, you do it awfully well," Eluned remarked, trying to steady the tremor in her voice.

"Plenty of practice. It serves me well in this moment. Keeps the meddlers out of my lands." He pulled her slightly closer as they spun around the dance floor. "I have to admit, I am rather surprised at how well you have taken to being a queen."

"Because I am a servant," she said flatly and began to pull away from him.

Jareth's grasp was unrelenting. "No. Because you have spent so many years being so utterly inconspicuous. I have always been aware of you, I know I have you to thank for many of the comforts I have in the castle, but you have fallen into this role as if you were born to it."

She closed her eyes briefly and sighed, allowing him to pull her back into the rhythm of the dance. "Perhaps it is because I _was_ born to it. You know now that I was raised a noble. There is little out there for a noble girl but to marry well. You were the royal prize dangled in front of us through my early years."

His gaze turned far away, the corners of his mouth upturned, pleased. "I had not thought…. But then, I had my mind on other matters, I suppose. I married who I was told and, well, you know how that turned out."

"I was out of the running well before you were actually married. My family was disgraced. Exiled. When I found out you had set up your own kingdom among the goblins, I thought it had to be better to seek employment with you than run forever with a family that had taken my future from me."

He smiled and pulled her closer again. "I am very glad you did," he whispered, his breath brushing her ear.

A sudden roar rocked the ballroom. Glass shattered in the windows and mirrors, raining down on the guests. Jareth pulled her behind him protectively.

When the shards settled, they were the only two standing, everyone else having ducked for cover or fallen to the floor. He twisted back to look at her. "Are you injured?" he asked.

She did not respond, but her eyes focused on something moving toward the windows from the garden outside. Kendryck and Rionach moved up next to them. "Rhys," Kendryck said quietly, but in the silence of the room it might as well have been a shout.

Eluned's whisper was horrified. "Father."

Jareth's face was inscrutable as he looked away from her and drawled, "My, what a lovely night for a palace coup, Sir Rhys. I did not realize this was your father, Eluned."

"Not sir, any longer," said the man stepping through the now empty window. He was tall and broad shouldered, with his monochromatic black clothing and dark hair pulled away from his face he looked severe, dangerous. "My charming daughter Eluned! And the prince! I had no idea. What luck that I will be able to take out the entire royal family in one clean sweep." As he spoke, several others, also dressed entirely in black, stepped in behind him.

Jareth shook his head. "Not prince, any longer. I am a king now."

Rhys laughed darkly and spit at Jareth's feet. "Of the goblins! Hardly a title worth having to rule over that vile scum."

Jareth looked over at his father and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" Kendryck gave a barely perceptible shake of his head and did nothing.

"You see, he will not even fight for his own kingdom," Rhys said derisively. "This should be all too easy."

Casting one further look at Kendryck, who stood proudly but still, Jareth rolled his eyes. "Not as easy as you might think." He pulled his arm back in a fist. When he threw it back forwards, he released his grip. Rhys and his followers flew backwards into the wall behind them.

The room erupted into chaos.


	6. Chapter 6

It only took Rhys and his followers a few moments to recover themselves and jump back to their feet.

Jareth and Eluned were buffeted on either side by guests and nobles rushing for the exits. It seemed there were few willing to stand and fight beside their king. Rhys waved his hand and another shockwave shook the room. Kendryck stumbled to the floor, but the others kept their feet. Despite the cut from the flying glass, Jareth stood tall and straight, every inch a king.

Kendryck looked at Jareth with surprise. He did not move, but gave no indication that he planned to enter the fray. Rionach had begun to back away slowly. Jareth turned slightly to look at Eluned. "You might as well go for cover now and stay safe."

"Not a chance," she said quietly, but calmly peeling her sparkling silver gloves from her arms."

He looked frustrated, but turned back to his enemy. One of the men with Rhys, a stocky man with red hair had conjured a line of flames between them. Jareth cocked his head to the side. "How adorable." With a wave, he extinguished the flames.

He watched, amused as the man began to form a ball of fire between his palms. He reached back to hurl the flames at Jareth. Before it could leave his hands, a bolt of lightning screamed past his vision. The man crumpled into a smoking heap. Eyes wide he looked back again, towards Eluned's outstretched arm.

"You have been holding back!" he called, brushing away the blood dripping from his forehead.

"Not much call for lightning magic as a housekeeper!"

At that, Jareth threw back his head and laughed, a full, deep laugh that seemed to begin at his toes. He had forgotten how much he loved the heat of battle… almost as much as games and trickery. This was how he had won his throne in the first place. He conjured one of his crystal orbs and threw it at a petite brunette at Rhys' side. It exploded in a ball of sparks that threw her back against the wall and singed one side of Rhys' clothing.

Already, Rhys' remaining companions were beginning to back away. It was clear from the looks on their faces that they did not plan on encountering competition anything like this. Wide eyed, Rhys raised his hands in supplication. As Jareth took a step towards him a wicked bolt of blue lightning struck Rhys in the chest. He fell to the floor, twitching. Jareth looked back at Eluned with a glance that was full of many things: surprise, respect and heat.

He paced calmly to Rhys' spasming form. His companions stood as if frozen. "You came here expecting to find a weak monarch and a kingdom for the taking. Such a disappointment to find me instead, I am sure. Now, I have a bog I would rather like you to make the acquaintance of." With a snap, the ragtag group had disappeared.

Jareth walked to his father, his boots crunching against the broken glass and rubble. Kneeling down he said, conversationally, "Father, you should have told me you were useless and your threat nonexistent. Not to worry. I have protected your kingdom for you."

Kendryck pressed a hand to his bleeding arm, staring past Jareth, saying nothing.

Eluned could not help but smile as she stood still, her power still humming through her.

"Now," Jareth announced, rising to his feet again, "since it seems all my pageantry is no longer necessary, I believe Eluned and I shall take our leave. I believe we have much to discuss." He tucked her arm tightly against his and in a blink they were gone.

When she opened her eyes, it was easy to see that they were in the empty throne room of Jareth's castle. He stood, braced in the window, silhouetted by a brilliant red sunset. Eluned was no longer dressed in the extravagant ball gown, but a simple dress in a soft fabric and a long, warm cloak.

Jareth turned around then. "You are cold," he said quietly, and waving his hand a roaring fire sprung up in the empty pit in the middle of the room. He sighed. "Months ago, I would have given all of this up, just to be with Sarah."

Her lips were oddly numb when she responded. "You still love her, don't you?"

He sighed again and turned back toward the window as her heart shattered into a million pieces. She had turned away, moving silently towards the door when he finally spoke.

"No man wants to admit he has been a fool."

Eluned stopped, not daring to move. She could feel the heat of him behind her. With a finger on her cheek, he turned her gently to face him.

"I should have seen you centuries ago." He turned with her to the window and gestured to the Labyrinth beyond the castle, glowing red in the sunset. "I could have had all this and more than I ever could have dreamed. And so can you, if you will just choose me."

"Of course I choose you," she said. "I came to you when I had no one else, didn't I?"

"You know," he said, reaching beneath her cloak to take her fingers in his hand and casting her a sidelong glance, "I'm completely irredeemable. I will never be the fairy tale prince." He lifted her hand and pressed his lips to her fingertips.

Eluned laughed lightly and held up her opposite hand, letting the lightning dance across her fingertips. "I think that will be alright. I have found I rather have a taste for something a little more forceful than those weakling princes. Who needs a prince when I can have a Goblin King?"

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know, I am rather disappointed that my father's little uprising was ended so easily and with such little bloodshed. A full battle with you at my side could have been such fun. How do you feel about putting down the goblin revolt?" He pulled her close then, laying his lips gently against hers. He felt her smile beneath his kiss. "You are right," he whispered against her, "later."

With a laugh that promised many dark and devious deeds to come, Jareth swept Eluned into his arms and in a blink the throne room was again empty.

The End

**Huge thanks to all of you who stuck with me! I got a lot of heat for not making this a Jareth/Sarah story, but for my first ever fic I wanted to explore something new. I hope you enjoyed it!**


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